Irene sighs. “Goddammit, we broke so many codes.”
“So, it’s true?” I look up at my sister with genuine curiosity.
“Me and Jake?” She downcasts her eyes. “Yeah.”
“Why’d ya hide it from me?”
“Well, for one, it was none of your business…but also, Jake didn’t want me to.”
“That lying sack of shit thinking he can just take liberties with you on the side—”
“No—it wasn’t like that. He was just…ashamed.”
“Ashamed?”
“The way he put it, he’s a simple farmer in love with some fancy lawyer, not that I can even practice now.”
“I can’t say I don’t understand his dilemma.”
“How you holdin' up?”
“I’m not. I’m crashing down.”
“Hank that mad?”
“Are you kidding? I’m not brave enough to face Hank Carter. Not after I disgraced his little girl.”
“Disgraced?” Irene chuckles. “That reminds me of that journalist chick—the one in that AI scandal.”
“Well, to put it plainly, I shouldn’t have been messing around with Hank’s little girl.”
“Little girl?” Irene’s eyebrows shift upward. “If it were Prim, he’d have every reason to be angry. Ali Kat Carter is her own woman, and I have a feeling this was all her idea.”
“I’d never touch Prim.”
“I know. Did ya see her at the fire?”
“Don’t remind me. I’m surprised Hank hasn’t come by with his shotgun with all the damage I caused.”
“Hearts break, maybe Prim needed to know. The torch she carried for you was ridiculous.”
“Yeah, but I still feel awful.”
“Ya need to talk with Jake.”
“I ain’t never talking with Jake. Not again.”
“Oh, stop being so dramatic. You’re both volunteer firefighters. Are you telling me you’re just no longer going to go out to calls?”
“I may not have the time to. I gotta get a job, Irene, and you know as well as I do what the job market looks like.”
“I can talk to mom and dad about—”
“Don’t!”
Irene’s face scrunches in confusion. “I know you guys don’t get along, and it’s not fair that they had those high expectations of you, but someone needs to extend the olive branch.”
“I’ve tried, but every time things get better, I keep fucking up. If only I hadn’t lost my scholarship.”
